Elijah Berle is the latest legend to take stock of some of the media that has earned an important place in his story for our “Offerings” series. See what skate video, album, book, and documentary he chose for us then check in to learn more about his current reality at the tail end of one of his most productive years to date…
words and interview by Jacob Sawyer. Elijah Berle putting in the work PH: Anthony Acosta
It feels like only yesterday that we published an interview with Elijah Berle but it was over five years ago, a conversation that coincided with his first pro shoe for Vans. Knowing that he had a new colourway in the works, and having heard whispers of him putting the work in for a part to accompany we lined up another chat many months ago so we could put something out there to coincide with what he had been grafting for. We had no idea at the time that this would be published on the cusp of not one but two video parts hitting our screens in as many weeks. We’re pleased that Elijah found some time to entertain a call amidst the premieres, and we agreed on an “Offerings” interview being a nice distraction. Our conversation took place while he was on the long road back to LA having premiered the video in San Francisco the night before.
Elijah’s eclectic selection pointed us in many different directions, beginning with a video that was on regular rotation when he was starting out, steady inspiration for the full-blown skate rat he had become. The video he plucked from the pile that still delivers was Tent City, Rick Charnoski and Buddy Nichols’ documentary take on the Anti Hero squad camping on a road trip from Brisbane to Melbourne. This video captures everyone ripping, and everything in between, a powerful slice of life also echoed by his book choice. As an avid surfer himself Elijah decided to recommend William Finnegan’s memoir Barbarian Days, a Pulitzer Prize-winning adventure story that follows the author on his quest for more challenging waves. It was nice to hear Elijah’s appreciation for this escape and learn more about his own personal practice.
The last two picks hail from different musical traditions. Elijah chose to speak about Metallica’s second studio album Ride The Lightning, a record that was part of the pile the same way Tent City was, a soundtrack to his life with multiple applications. It was interesting to hear about the role it played, and incredible to find out ahead of time that his new part would pair him with one of his favourite bands. The last recommendation was the compelling Heartworn Highways documentary which captures different musicians who were part of a more underground country music movement. This raw peak behind the curtain is full of emotion, captures a more innocent time, and presents a different America.
The interview closes by speaking about a hot moment from his Rodeo Technology part, Austyn Gillete’s cameo, his new Vans colourway, his history running waffle soles, his latest part, his partnership with Cody Green, premieres, and what projects could be cued up to follow. Explore the significance behind Elijah’s selection and check in to discover more about the killer parts he has recently gifted us…
Anti Hero – Tent City (2004)
What was going on with you when this came out?
When this came out I was definitely just an eat breathe, sleep, full skate rat. I was obsessed with skating, I would stay up all night watching skate videos then go to the skate park and just skate all day.
What about this video resonated with you?
It was such a cool era. I loved all of the film footage mixd in there, that’s something that really stood out for me at that time. It didn’t look like any other video I had seen at that point. They just looked like they were on a mission, it was so cool to watch because it showed everything, not just the tricks but the whole process. The missions they took, where they were sleeping. It made you feel like you were on the trip just by watching the video.
Was this one of the videos you would watch on repeat?
Yeah for sure, I had a little collection of skate videos and this was one of them. So I would cycle through those but this one was definitely on the top of that stack. It was one of my favourites growing up and it still is.
Did this plant the seed of venturing further afield?
I didn’t think back then that me being able to do something like that was even possible. I didn’t even process the idea of me going on a full blown skate trip. But it definitely made me to want to go to the skate park even more.
Was there anyone in there in particular who inspired you?
You know what, [Tony] Trujillo really stood out for me but it was the whole squad honestly. At that age I wasn’t really processing people’s names I was just soaking in the skating and the whole video in general.
What tricks stood out?
Tony Trujillo does a slob plant on a bar which I always thought was pretty sick. I love Steve Bailey’s frontside ollies. Then there’s the Pizzey park section where they are all ripping.
“it was amazing to see a video where everyone is so diverse”
Was there anything you went away and learned because of watching this?
It made me realise that there was a different way to skate transition, an approach I hadn’t originally recognised. It showed me all of these different opportunities, ways to skate transition and street. They were skating transition in a way I hadn’t seen before, without pads, it showed me you can skate transition in a way that I think looks the best.
If you’re looking at anyone to show you how to do that the best it would be that whole squad.
Yeah, and I feel like all of those guys are so different too so it was amazing to see a video where everyone is so diverse, it checked all of the boxes.
There’s some prime John Cardiel footage in there.
Of course, there’s some sick Cardiel street action too. That noseblunt slide on the bank stands out for me and he has a great quote before that too. He does a front rock slide off a quarter pipe into a bank, I always really loved that clip. I always enjoyed how the footage edited to music faded in and out of them narrating everything. It was unique way of presenting a video like that.
Rick Charnoski and Buddy Nichols were the guys for the job, they would have been as down to skate each place as everyone else.
I’m sure they did their fair share of ripping off camera as well as capturing it, they would have been working over time. Rick and Buddy are the sickest.
What’s your personal experience of Australia? Did you pilgrimage to anywhere featured in the video?
We did do an Australia trip and visited some of the parks but Pizzey was the one that stood out the most. We skated there and I remember that session really well. It has such an iconic bowl and it’s so far away obviously. When you finally get there, it’s kind of surreal, one of those seven wonders of the world moments for a skateboarder. It was cool to finally end up there years later and get a session. We got to see how crunchy it was and how it felt. It made me realise that all of the tricks those guys filmed there were super gnarly because it is no way as smooth as it looks on video. When you get in there and get a feel for it you find that out real quick.
I love the noseslide Cardiel does down the escalator there.
Yeah that was nuts dude, I know. You don’t see many people hit that hip really, it’s this untouched thing, it’s super steep and really sketchy. The only other person I can picture skating it is Raven Tershy, he did a big frontside air over it years later on Grant Taylor’s SOTY trip. Two rad skaters, same hip.
You’ve handled some KOTR action Do you think you could you hack a road trip on this level?
If I got invited on a camping trip across Australia with all my friends I would be more than hyped to go. I would love to camp and skate all of those parks.
Barbarian Days: a surfing life – William Finnegan (2015)
What made you choose this book?
I like surfing a lot and this book is the account of someone who spent their whole life as an avid surfer. It takes you through all of the different stages of his life and what surfing was like for him at each point. There are multiple sections and they’re all very relatable. As a skateboarder there are parallels, the way he would be constantly chasing waves, and travelling, spending the majority of his time trying to find the next session. It’s similar to skating, you’re always on the go, always looking to find something new to skate because you can’t just skate the same thing every day. It’s the same as being a surfer, you can’t surf the same waves or it gets boring. This guy was on a total mission to find all of the best waves in the world. I really enjoyed this book, it spoke to me. I found it inspiring, and it made me want to travel more and explore.
Does William Finnegan nail describing the philosophy of something you’re just as passionate about?
He’s telling his life story so it’s very detailed and intimate, you feel like you’re in the room with the guy listening to his story. He recalls all of the finer details about everything that he experienced. He describes all of the places that he surfed in enough detail that you can picture them, places that I have never surfed that I would love to one day. He really broke it all down. My favourite chapter is actually when he moves to San Francisco for a while. He explains what it was like being a surfer in San Francisco, it was a heavy experience that wasn’t for the faint of heart. The water is cold, the waves are big, the water was rough, it was a gnarly place to be a surfer.
Where did he go to surf there?
At Sunset there’s a stretch of beach where the waves get pretty good. In the winter time they get big and gnarly. It’s definitely a place that people come to who are in search of a big wave and an opportunity to push themselves.
“My favourite chapter is actually when he moves to San Francisco for a while…it was a heavy experience that wasn’t for the faint of heart”
Does his account echo the same kind obsession skateboarders have?
For sure, he explains in the book about waking up when it’s still dark out, paddling out and getting swept miles down the beach. He describes being totally smoked by these monstrous waves. He describes multiple instances where he was in a genuinely sketchy position but is quite nonchalant about his survival. He casually tells the tale of waking up in the morning to go surfing but without directly saying it he communicates that he was putting his life on the line. He talks about going out to surf and his hands would be almost frozen shut afterwards, he’d have to get people to open his car door for him because his hands were too cold. It’s cool to read about how super dedicated and gnarly he was.
The book describes a different time too, does he paint a good picture of the world he came up in?
He was a kid growing up in the 50s and 60s so they were different times in many ways. It wasn’t always the easiest world to navigate. He talks about his various moves around America and to other countries. It sounds like the period of time he spent in Hawaii was a nice time in his life.
Have you been finding time to surf?
Sadly I’ve only been out a few times this year. I’ve been really busy with skating and doing a lot of trips so I haven’t had as much time as I would like to. I definitely plan on finding some more time to surf because it’s really good for me, I miss it for sure.
Do you find it delivers the same mental reward for you as skating?
I feel like the two things are totally separate for me. It does do that for me in a way, they supply two different versions of the same feeling. One is more calm, slowed down, and relaxed. That would be surfing, then skating is higher intensity and you don’t have to be as patient, you’re moving much more. Surfing has a lot more moments in between riding waves, you’re sitting there way more than actually surfing. You have more time to process what you’re doing, you’re out there thinking about random shit, and it gives you the time to do that. When I’m skating I’m definitely not doing that, it’s the opposite.
Would you like to follow the waves and do some surf travel like the author?
I would absolutely love to. Sadly, these days I think it is a lot more crowded and expensive than the world he described. It’s a lot harder to do what he did. I don’t know if I could do it to that extent either, he really was living and breathing it. I would love to take a trip somewhere just to surf some good waves though, it’s a dream for sure.
It must feel good to have something like that you can always continue to do.
Yeah I think it’s something I will eventually lean on heavily when I can no longer do exactly what I want to do on a skateboard. It’s nice to know that I will have that when that time comes.
Ride the Lightning – Metallica (1984)
Was it hard to settle on a specific album for this?
It was so hard to pick one, I grew up with so many, the same as with skate videos. There are so many in the roster and you cycle through them. I got a record player when I was thirteen and got a few records. Ride The Lightning was one of them and there was just something about that one record. I would just sit in my room and listen to it over and over again. I would listen to it with the lights off, I would go to sleep listening to straight Metallica. It was calming though, there’s something soothing about it. Every song goes into the next. I could listen to it like that, just chilling, but it’s also the album I would choose to motivate me to try a trick. It applies to different situations.
That very last song [The Call of Ktulu] is quite a meditative one.
Yeah that song is intense, I really like that one. They’re all insane, Fade to Black though has got to be the most epic song of all time.
So this album is one you listen to, and think of in it’s entirety?
Yeah I still listen to this back to back, no skipping. I wouldn’t necessarily ever want to play just one song, if I put on one song I’m probably going to want to play the whole thing.
This album was also your first exposure to the band?
Yeah that was it for sure, my first Metallica album. I didn’t even get any of their other albums for a while either. I just had my little stash of records. This was before Spotify or Pandora or any of that stuff and I didn’t have an iPod. I would run through my ten or twelve records and Ride The Lightning was one of them.
“I would go to sleep listening to straight Metallica. It was calming though, there’s something soothing about it”
Do you have any songs earmarked for a future part?
Well, funnily enough we just used a Metallica song for my new Vans part. It’s not from this album though. We got really lucky and were able to use a song off their first album Kill’ Em All for the new part. That was a dream come true, bucket list moment for sure. Vans worked out a trade with the band, in exchange for some footage they needed they were able to agree on an affordable price to licence the track. Songs that epic can often be out of budget for skate videos but the stars aligned on this one.
Have you ever had the chance to see Metallica play live?
I haven’t unfortunately. I would love to go and see them play. I think though that sometimes when your favourite music is from a different era, seeing a band play is a different experience from what your favourite album may be. That album came out so long ago so they have a lot of material they have to get through.
Heartworn Highways – James Szalapski (1976)
I happily rewatched this before this call, such a good documentary. How did you land on this one?
I feel like documentaries are a lot more interesting to talk about than movies. I’m a big fan of country music, especially from that era. I also think that being a musician during that era, and their style of being a musician was raw, staying on the road, travelling, experiencing new things, and making music on the road. It feels somewhat similar to what we do. We’re experiencing new places, and new things doing something we love to do, in places we have never done it before.
It’s like Tent City for outlaw country.
Kinda yeah, it is a little bit. I guess both of them have a similar angle, they don’t really know what their next move is but they’re just rolling.
What came first for you some of the musicians or the documentary?
For sure some of the musicians. Then one day I was talking with one of my friends about music and I mentioned Townes Van Zandt. He straight away started talking about how sick the section with him in the Heartworn Highways movie was. I had to ask him what it was and he couldn’t believe I had never seen it. He said that if I liked his music and stuff like it, that I had to see the documentary. He then let me borrow the DVD and I was so stoked when I went home and watched it. The whole thing is so underground and you would never really hear about it but it’s super cool.
The Townes Van Zandt part is incredible.
Yeah man, that’s my favourite section, it stands out the most. They’re just fucking around and hanging out, cracking jokes and shit, and then the mood just shifts. The way he could change the room around like that just with his song is pretty unbelievable. They’re sitting there having a normal conversation, the next thing you know this song is being played, and tears are being shed, it’s intense.
So you were a Townes Van Zandt fan already.
Yeah I like his music a lot, and quite a few different artists from the same era who played the same gene of music.
“They’re sitting there having a normal conversation, the next thing you know this song is being played, and tears are being shed, it’s intense”
The documentary is a great American time capsule.
Yeah, it was filmed in a time when America looked a whole lot different, a time capsule is the perfect way to describe it.
Who did it help you discover that you weren’t aware of before?
There are a few people in it that I hadn’t heard of. I like the opening scene with Larry Jon Wilson, the guy with the super low voice. It’s shot in a recording studio, I really like that song and I have it saved on a playlist. That scene is really cool because you get to see just how talented these guys are. They’re nonchalantly making this music and it seems like it’s so easy for them. The way he is playing the guitar is unbelievable, then he breaks off when they’re changing the microphone or something and he just starts playing a little Lightning Hopkins riff. It’s so sick to see that raw talent. Guy Clarke is another guy in there who I hadn’t really heard who is sick.
Do you find time to play guitar?
I go in waves, I wouldn’t say I’m a guitar player but I like to try and play the guitar I guess. Sometimes I won’t pick it up for months and at other times I’ll play it every day. I usually end up playing it a lot when I’m hurt because it’s a good way to pass time and stay a little bit creative.
What music were you surrounded by growing up?
I would have been bouncing back and forth between punk rock, [Black] Sabbath, Metallica. I would listen to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. There was a fairly wide variety of things I would listen to but there was a lot of country, a lot of punk, and rock and roll. I actually saw a good concert once when I was in London. We were at a Street League contest and Curren Caples asked me if I wanted to go and see The Rolling Stones. I didn’t think that would be a possibility but they were playing next door in two hours and he said he could buy tickets. So we left the contest, didn’t skate, and went to this concert. It ended up being one of the best concerts I have ever been to in my life, it was insane. We were in the standing area, and it was so spur of the moment which made it even sicker and more memorable.
We enjoyed your Rodeo Technology part. Does working for anything that’s in there stand out as being particularly memorable?
The ring of fire was pretty crazy. We had no idea what we were doing, hahaha. Somehow that apparatus got to FA, one day it was just sitting in the parking lot and I had to ask what it was. We began joking about lighting it on fire and skating through it, like the [John] Cardiel ring but more of a tunnel. I agreed that it would be insane but it was just something that we kind of joked about. Every time I went over there I’d take a look at it where it was sat out in the parking lot.
Towards the end of filming for this video part some of the guys over there started to get pretty excited about seeing if it was possible. They spent a decent amount of time researching the best way to light it up. What is the most flammable? What stays on fire the longest? So we lit it up, they did a bunch of tests with different materials. We thought we had it dialled so we got the thing all set up. We rigged it up and got the rail in there. We began with this kind of Kevlar wrap around the metal, then we sprayed that with brake fluid. So to begin with the smell of the brake fluid was super gnarly and the hoop is massive, it’s huge, you couldn’t reach the top, you needed a big ladder to get up there. We had to get this whole thing sprayed down, then to light it all at the same time was really hard too. At first some of it would be on fire while other parts weren’t.
“they’d light it up and it was all systems go. I’m at the end of the parking lot just pushing my hardest towards this wall of fire”
It just wasn’t what we thought it was going to be, it didn’t look that exciting. By this point we had gathered everyone there to do it and it was night time. We thought we had struck out at that point, we thought it wasn’t going to happen. Then [Jason] Dill became the motivator, he was like “we’re fucking doing this, we’re gonna figure it out, we’re here”. We were determined to find a way. It turned out that there were a bunch of T-Shirts which had been misprinted and needed to be destroyed. 
There were quite a few boxes of them so we started wrapping the thing with these shirts having soaked them with anything flammable. We were using lighter fluid, brake fluid, and just dousing these T-Shirts. So when we lit that up it really fucking took off but it was almost too gnarly. It only stayed lit for a certain amount of time so once it was on fire you just have to go for it.
It was an intense moment, they’d light it up and it was all systems go. I’m at the end of the parking lot just pushing my hardest towards this wall of fire. I was just hoping it all went smoothly, pushing, and making sure I popped out the other end. It all worked out, we got the shot but it was definitely a mission to make it happen.
Did you have that Gene Clark song in mind already?
Haha, I thought you meant while I was pushing towards the fire for a second. I didn’t have that one picked actually it was Benny [Maglinao]’s choice. We wanted to use something different to what I have used already in other parts. I have usually chosen the tracks I have skated to so when you want to use something different it becomes harder because it’s not on your radar. We had played around with a few options which were kind of cool but we were still looking. The release of the video was creeping up though so the pressure was on to find a song. We found that one just in the nick of time and I’m stoked on how it works with the part, Benny killed it and it all worked out.
How did the Austyn Gillette cameo come about?
We had essentially squashed the beef the next day after that whole saga. I gave him a call the next day and we talked it out. He apologised and I apologised, we squashed it directly afterwards. The world didn’t seem to think so though, the world wanted the beef to continue it seemed. All I was getting were questions about that, it was getting old, and I’m sure it was getting old for him too.
“We had essentially squashed the beef the next day after that whole saga…The world didn’t seem to think so though, the world wanted the beef to continue it seemed”
So when we had the opportunity to make this part, my friend Dylan [Christopher] who works for Thrasher had the idea. Dylan mentioned it to my friend Flech [Jonathan Flechas] who films for FA. He thought the idea was hilarious, told me, and I was stoked. I couldn’t think of a better way to tell people to fuck off. He’s in the part, we’re friends, are you happy? It was a good way to let everyone know that the beef has been squashed. I think it definitely surprised some people.
You’re wearing your new Vans Old Skool colourway in the part on that fakie 50-50.
Yeah, that shoe is about to come out. The Old Skool is one of my favourite shoes of all time. When I got the opportunity to have my own shoe it was initially quite hard to adapt to something new. I had been skating in Old Skools for years at that point so it took a second to get used to my own shoe at first. I got used to it though and then I would exclusively skate in that. When they stopped making it I leaned back on the Old Skools and it was a moment that felt like reconnecting with an old friend – I remember these days. It was a fairly simple transition.
Elijah’s new colourway of the Vans Old Skool, an overhaul of one of his favourite shoes of all time
How did you settle on the colourway?
I just wanted to pick some colours that I would actually wear on a daily basis. I wanted something simple but wasn’t in the line already. It was hard to navigate not making them too similar to something they’re making already. Blue was a safe bet as I don’t like wearing many coloured shoes, we just experimented until we found the right combination.
Your story with Vans is a very organic one in that you were buying their shoes anyway before they put you on. Do you remember the first pair Jamie Hart gave you?
I do remember, it was at a Damn Am contest in Costa Mesa and he brought them to me in his car. We had spoken on the phone but I had never met him. The contest was coming up and the shoes wouldn’t arrive in time so he said he’d drive out to meet me. That was a cool moment, I was psyched that they even wanted anything to do with me. It was a good feeling.
What shoes did he give you to start the ball rolling?
He gave me a pair of Era Pros, and I think they were black and blue. When I first got on I would skate that shoe a lot too. I jumped around a little bit because I was excited, it’s Vans, all the shoes are so sick so I wanted to wear all of them: Sk8-Hi’s, Old Skools, Era Pros, Half Cabs. I tried everything, I was just hyped to be skating in Vans.
Elijah goes the distance with this crooked grind in his new Old Skool colourway. PH: Anthony Acosta
Your Vans part to accompany the shoe will be out by the time this interview is published. How long were you grafting for that?
There are definitely a couple of tricks in Rodeo Technology which were filmed towards the end of last year but I think everything in this new Vans part is from this year. I knew I wanted to start working on a project so I started filming in January of this year. I was starting to get out there filming and skating a lot but then I broke my elbow in January. That meant I was out for a month and a half. I started skating again at the end of February. That was a little bit of a hiccup but ever since February we’ve been going for it non-stop, pedal to the metal.
Was it hard thinking about two projects?
I was seeing if I could even do it, I wasn’t speaking about it until I knew it was even going to be possible. I didn’t want to be claiming it and come up short. Once we realised we were going to have enough footage it was easier to start deciding what tricks went to which part and navigating it with Cody [Green] and Benny [Maglinao].
Michael Burnett called it your heaviest part to date. Is this one you’re proudest of?
I would say so for sure, skateboarding is all about progression and I still feel like I’m able to push my boundaries a little bit. I really wanted to do that this year, to make myself scared, and make myself uncomfortable. It’s good to put yourself out there and see what you can really do if you focus and try to make everything the best you can make it.
Is working with Cody Green the ideal scenario for you?
Oh yeah, he was on the scene right when I first started coming around. I’ve known him for my whole career. He is actually the one who got me on Vans. He had mentioned to Jamie [Hart] that they should check me out. I met Cody out at the Berrics one night and he seemed like a cool dude. We arranged to skate some time and we ended up going out night skating in downtown LA and filming a few things. I think I was wearing Osiris shoes still at the time so it’s the end of riding for Foundation. I found it impossible to find an Osiris shoe that wasn’t too bulky for me so I was skating this random pair of shoes. He saw that and thought he would see if he could hook me up, so it was Cody who saw if Vans would be down. He sent them some footage and I had a thing come out on Crailtap too which I filmed at the park. That was right when he sent them some footage.
“I’ve ridden for Vans for however many years old his son is, and he’s a teenager now so it’s been a while”
Then shortly before I got on Vans I got kicked off Osiris for skating is Vans that I had bought. I was over it at that point. I wasn’t making much money, it didn’t seem like it was going anywhere so I wanted to skate in some shoes that I liked. I would rather just buy Vans so when the Crailtap thing came out I was skating in Vans that I had bought. When Jamie [Hart] called me he said that he’d seen I was already wearing Vans anyway, and asked if he could give me some shoes. It’s been a long time now. Jamie’s first son is called Elijah, he had already picked the name before he even met me. I got on Vans right when he had his son so I’ve ridden for Vans for however many years old his son is, and he’s a teenager now so it’s been a while.
How have the premieres been? Your whole family were out in Silverlake and last night you had one in SF?
Silverlake was super fun, I love having my family there, and they love to be there. They get to see what I’ve been up to all year, and all the trips I’ve been on. They know how much work goes into one of these things so they get to see the finished product after a year of hard work. It was a good turn out last night too, it was cool because it was open to anybody to go so it was really fun. I’ve been up to SF a few times this year to film for the video so it was nice to be able to come back full circle and premiere what we did.
Elijah’s new “Berle For VANS” part filmed and edited by Cody Green
Is there a space for some downtime or are you on to another project?
I’m looking to try and dive into something straight away. I don’t like being stagnant, I like having a project to work towards and I love skating, and being on the road. I know Curren [Caples] is working on something. I would like to jump in on the tail end and see if I can scrounge something together for that. I would really like to film a San Francisco part. I was discussing that with some guys last night. I love skating up there and it’s a new canvas for me having filmed a lot of video parts in LA. I think it would be really fun to switch it up and make something from a different base for the next part.
Thanks for your time Elijah. Any last words?
I’m fucking happy to be here.
We’d like to thank Elijah for his time. Be sure to follow him on Instagram as well as VansSkate and Fucking Awesome. Check out our previous Elijah Berle interview from 2019.
Elijah’s new Vans Old Skool colourway will be available HERE from the 5th December. We’d also like to thank David Atkinson, Kevin Shealy, and Tin Tran for the help with this one. Thanks also to Anthony Acosta for the photos.
Previous “Offerings” Interviews: Silas Baxter-Neal , Matt Pritchard , Matlok Bennett-Jones , Spencer Hamilton , Aaron Herrington , Rowan Zorilla , Beatrice Domond , Chris Jones , Kevin ‘Spanky’ Long , Helena Long , Tom Karangelov , Bobby Puleo , Ray Barbee , Zach Riley , Ryan Lay , Casper Brooker